“Reducing the rate of early elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks ensures that more mothers receive safe, evidence-based care, and improves the prospects for good physical and developmental health for infants. It also reduces costs by safely reducing preventable C-section rates, neonatal intensive care admissions and other associated complications.”

In addition to targeting early elective births, the initiative will focus on reducing the rate of preterm births for women covered by Medicaid. Again, from the initiative, this will include:

Group prenatal care that incorporates peer-to-peer interaction in a facilitated setting for health assessment, education, and provides psycho-social support.

I know, there’s a lot of grant-speak in there–I’ll try to clarify some of that in upcoming posts. But the exciting part is that Health and Human Services (plus a lot of other organizations – see below) is looking to promote programs that go far beyond the way we’ve done prenatal care in the past.

Here’s the roster of groups working together on Strong Start:

This initiative is a joint effort between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Administration on Children and Families (ACF), and outside groups devoted to the health of mothers and newborns such as the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine, American College of Nurse Midwives, Childbirth Connection, Leapfrog Group, the National Priorities Partnership convened by the National Quality Forum and others.